‘Lights On’ sees White Bay Power Station spark back to life, open to the public for the first time in 100 years, for the opening night of the 24th Biennale of Sydney! Be amongst the first to experience contemporary art within the industrial grandeur of the Station featuring live music, dancefloors, food trucks, bars, installations and roving performances. The site will come alive with a powerful, electric festival energy.
Chimney Stage
Curated by Phoenix Central Park
Belgian international dance-pop sensations Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul headline ‘Lights On’ in a Sydney exclusive, bringing their deliciously mischievous hooks, electroclash production and incisive lyrics to Australia for the first time. Following the critical success of their debut album Topical Dancer, which found its way onto countless ‘best of 2022’ lists, including Pitchfork, NME, The Guardian & The Needle Drop, ‘Lights On’ will be their debut Sydney appearance. With their irresistible rhythms, on-point critiques and acerbic wit, the pair are sure to send the crowd wild.
Joined by rising star and Mount Druitt’s finest Vv Pete, combining heavy club beats with genre bending Australian rap, winning audiences across the nation. Vv Pete will be joined by local powerhouse UTILITY & Friends. Sydney based producer, composer and founder of record label Trackwork, will play live alongside a cohort of the most innovative artists in Western Sydney including Gamilaraay rappers T Breezy and Walkerboy.
Finally, rounding out the evening is Aotearoa’s own DJ royalty HALFQUEEN. Rooted in the experience of her Fijian and Pākehā bloodlines, she is internationally renowned for decolonising the dancefloor with her high energy sets evoking nostalgia, ecstasy and uninhibited ass shaking.
Set times:
7.15 pm Utility & friends
7.45 pm Vv Pete
8.30 pm Charlotte & Bolus
9.30 DJ Halfqueen
11 pm Close
Turbine Hall Dancefloor
With El Gran Mono
Helmed by a series of local and interstate DJs curated by the Biennale of Sydney in collaboration with El Gran Mono. El Gran Mono is Melbourne’s own picó soundsystem; huge, hand-painted fluorescent speaker stacks, often found blasting tropical music in the neighbourhoods of cities in Colombia. Activating the El Gran Mono Pico Soundsystem to bring some Afro-Caribbean Carnivalesque flare to White Bay, the dance floor will be live from 7pm to 11pm and feature original sets from:
Kaimán y Kobra – a DJ and MC duo blending original Colombian coastal champeta songs electrified with a high-energy DJ performance, alongside queer Afro-Colombian dance legend Wendy Need Yepes and performer Katherine Gailer.
DJ Matt Vaughan – the brainchild and resident DJ behind one of Sydney’s most revered queer parties, Loose Ends, which thrives on a sense of musical adventurousness and truly inclusive queer partying.
Ahju – a DJ/producer who’s influenced by the sounds of house music, 90’s rave, and UK dance.
Set Times
7 pm Matt Vaughan
8 pm Kaiman y Kobra w/ Wendy Need Yepes and Katherine Gailer
9.30 pm Ahju
Food & Beverage
To keep you energised we have Shorty’s Food Truck and Greekstreet to serve delicious food for the evening. We have a jam-packed program for ‘Lights On’ full of music, art and performance for you to celebrate the opening of Ten Thousand Suns. Campari Bar returns for this edition of the Biennale to keep you refreshed. Hickson House Gin and Howard Park will also be on offer.
How to get there
Hop on the 443 special event bus from Stand B, at Queen Victoria Building, to go directly to White Bay Power Station. The 443 will be running every 5-10 mins from 6:30 pm to midnight, departing from QVB Stand B. Return buses from White Bay Power Station will depart on site, and returns to to QVB Stand F.
Regular bus routes 441 and 442 also stop on Robert Street, Rozelle outside White Bay Power Station.
Standard Opal rates apply.
For an enhanced Uber experience, the Biennale of Sydney has partnered with Uber! Look for the sign at White Bay Power Station for a seamless pick-up and drop-off with Uber.
Conditions of Entry
First Nations people are respectfully advised that this exhibition includes works, names, voices, and images of deceased people. This includes cultural practices and artistic intellectual property of a sensitive nature.
By entering the exhibition, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their use for promotional, or any other purpose by Biennale of Sydney. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar Biennale of Sydney events in the future and highlight the event.
This exhibition includes explicit content such as images and text that may be confronting, including stylised images of genitalia and coarse language.
White Bay Power Station is a remediated space. Please be mindful of uneven ground, low clearances and unfinished surfaces. Please do not enter areas that are restricted.
No external alcoholic beverages to be brought into the venue.
No smoking including the use of e-cigarettes
No illegal or illicit substances.
No bicycles, scooters, skateboards, or skates.
No drones or other remote-controlled devices.
No pets. Service animals are welcome.
Patrons are responsible for their own personal possessions and must not leave bags or possessions unattended at any time.
Unauthorized photography or filming is prohibited.
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